


Race to the Heart

by wapaksoccet13



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fast and the Furious, Alternate Universe - Need For Speed, Best Friends to Enemies, Drama, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Romance, Soccer Star Adora (She-Ra), Street Racer Adora (She-Ra), Street Racer Catra (She-Ra), catradora
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:08:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26377045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wapaksoccet13/pseuds/wapaksoccet13
Summary: Adora's life has always been moving at a pace that was too fast for those around her.  Whether it be her rocky childhood in an orphanage or the life that came after as a star soccer player, Adora was always doing something.When she abruptly retired at the age of 23, Adora believed that she could finally settle down and enjoy her life.  It was easier.  No more expectations to live up to.Funny thing about the past:  it always has a way of reminding you of who you truly are.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 77





	1. The Car

It was a relatively quiet day.

No clouds in the sky. There wasn’t a hint of humidity in the air as the temperature read 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Spirit in the Sky played over the speaker as the sounds of tools clanked off the walls of the garage. Every once in a while, a child’s laughter would sneak its way into the garage, and a smile would appear.

It had taken her years to get here, but Adora Grayskull was at peace.

Or, at least that’s what she told everyone.

Sighing, Adora pulled herself out from underneath the red 1965 Ford Mustang she had been working on. She tossed her wrenches into the nearby toolbox, stood up, and grabbed her rag from the counter. When Adora had bought the car, the previous owner, an older woman, had warned her about how much work it would take to get the car working once more. It was a challenge that she welcomed.

It wasn’t like Adora didn’t have the money to put into the car. At the young age of 19, she was starting for the women’s national soccer team. The following year, they won the World Cup with Adora quickly becoming a household name and fan favorite. She was an icon around the world, a role model for those younger than her. All of that ended when she abruptly retired at 23, choosing to reclude herself back in her hometown of Etheria. She still received royalties from the endorsements, but that didn’t matter to someone who chose to live by herself in a small 1 bedroom house in the quiet neighborhood of Brightmoon.

Wiping the grease from her hands, Adora absentmindedly tossed the rag back onto the counter, unaware of the wrench it had knocked off. The loud clunk sound the wrench made as it connected with the floor caused Adora’s back to straighten, her mind flashing back to a thunderstorm years earlier.

_Thunder sounded above her. The smell of a gasoline fire filled her nose. A set of eyes, one yellow and the other blue, stared back at her, screaming with betrayal._

_“Adora.”_

**_Adora._ **

“Adora!”

Adora jumped as a set of hands grabbed her shoulders, forcing her back to the present to find two new sets of eyes staring at her in concern. It took her a moment to focus, but a sigh of relief left her chest as she realized it was just her best friends, Glimmer and Bow.

“Are you ok?” Bow asked. “You were just staring off into space with this frightened expression.”

Adora swallowed and nodded once, hoping the smile she had one was a convincing one. “Yeah. I just got caught up in my own thinking again.”

They didn’t look convinced, but nothing more was said on the matter. Bow looked past Bow towards the Mustang and whistled. “So this is what you’ve been spending all those savings into, huh?”

Adora turned to the car, a smile on her face. “Yeah. I’ve just got a few more parts to wait on, but she’s ready to drive right now. I’m thinking about taking her one before we leave for the show tonight.”

Glimmer leaned against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s definitely going to be an interesting show. I’m hearing that a few new models are getting shown tonight.”

Adora shrugged, picking the invite for the car show off of her tool kit. “That’s what I’ve heard as well. Nothing I’m particularly interested in, but you know how these companies can be. Take a show that they think will turn the tides, and they’ll bring out the big guns.”

Bow pulled out his tablet, something he never left home without. “Supposedly, there’s something special going on tonight on top of it. Even the hardcore people don’t know what it entails, so it’s peaked quiet the interest in certain circles.”

Adora raised a brow. “Certain circles?”

“Don’t be surprised if the Primes start something with the police again.”

With a sigh, Adora set the invite on the counter next to Glimmer. “I’m gonna go for a ride. I’ll meet you guys back here around eight,” she said as she grabbed her keys and unlocked the Mustang.

“Adora.” The blonde stopped and turned to Glimmer, a worried look on her face. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

“I’ll be fine, Glimmer. I promise.”

Adora watched as Glimmer bit her lip but nodded. “Alright. We’ll see you tonight.” She smiled at her friend before climbing into her car and bringing it to life.

In the years leading up to her retirement, Adora was consistently restless. When her mind would keep running, so would her body. Her teammates would always comment on her commitment to the team, to the dedication she gave to improving everyone around her. Her friends would worry about the countless hours she would put into watching film or spending at the practice field on different drills. There was rarely a period in time where Adora took days to rest; they were more prevalent in instances where she was injured in a game. It wasn’t until one day after a rehab visit for an ankle injury that Adora found a way to relax.

_Looking at her phone, Adora was already counting down the remaining practices until the postseason. She had just four games left, and then the road to the championship would truly begin. Adjusting the pack on her shoulder, Adora was scrolling through her missed messages, unaware of the short woman standing in front of her until it was too late. The woman started to stumble forward from the collision, causing Adora to drop her phone as she reached out to steady the woman. What she hadn’t expected was the woman to turn and give her a wide smile._

_“Mara!” the woman shouted, as if it had been Adora’s name her entire life. “Where did you come from?”_

_Adora looked at the woman in confusion. “You must have mistaken me for someone else. My name isn’t Mara.”_

_“Of course it is! Though, when did you change the color of your hair, dearie? I loved that shade of brown.”_

_“I’ve never-”_

_The woman tutted, grabbing Adora’s hand before starting to drag her off towards the parking lot. “Enough talking, Mara dearie! The pie’s in the oven right now!”_

_Adora forced the older woman to stop. “Ma’am, my name’s not Mara.” She looked around them, trying to find this woman’s ‘Mara.’ No one was around them._

_“Wait a minute.” Adora turned back to the woman. “You’re not my Mara.”_

_Adora laughed nervously. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. My name’s Adora.”_

_“Adora, Mara, same difference.”_

_“But it’s not-”_

_“I need you to drive me home.”_

_“Wait, what?”_

_“I need you to drive me home.”_

_“I don’t know where you live.”_

_“Yes you do, Mara. You’ve driven me home before!”_   
_  
_ “My name’s not Mara!”

_The older woman sighed, tugging on Adora’s hand once more. “Come on, the car’s this way.”_

_Adora tried to pull away from the woman, but her hand strength was surprisingly strong. When they reached the older woman’s car, Adora’s determination to leave was replaced by a shock of awe. She had grown up a fan of the classics, but never in her life would she have imagined seeing a 1965 Ford Mustang in working condition._

_“Come on now,” the older woman said as she tossed her keys to Adora. “No time to dilly dally. You have to drive me home.”_

_Adora wanted to tell the woman no, but her inner child won out. It was just one drive, and it wasn’t like Adora was ever going to see the woman again. What was the harm in driving her home?_

_They drove for an hour. The woman’s sense of direction was terrible, but Adora found herself not minding. They drove towards the water’s edge where it met the edge of the forest. She lost track of how many times the woman would smack her, tell her to turn around, and take the road they had just driven by. When they arrived at the woman’s home, a small cabin deep in the forest, Adora found that she was the most relaxed she had been in a while._

_Looking down at her phone, a little red notice caught her attention. She had no signal to call for a ride back to the city. “Um...I don’t mean to be a bother, but is there a way I could use your phone to call for a ride?”_

_The woman had just reached the door to her home when she heard Adora’s request. She turned to Adora confused. “Why don’t you just take the car, dearie?”_

_Adora stuttered at the proposition. “I...I couldn’t just take your car.”_

_“Then I can just sell it to you. It’s not in the best of shape, but it feels as if it belongs with you.”_

_Adora’s jaw dropped. “You...you’d sell it to me? Just like that?”_

_“Of course, dearie.”_

_“I don’t even know your name! We literally just met today.”_

_The woman smiled, opening the door behind her. “It’s Razz, my dear. Now come get some pie!”_

It’s on this same path that Adora’s found herself driving. She would use the drive to help calm her nerves before an important game. Then it became a way for her to come to terms with retiring young. Now it was just a drive to appreciate everything around her. Adora never felt more at peace than when she was driving near Razz’s house. She made a mental note to go visit the older woman next time she could; it had been a couple weeks since she had last heard from Razz, but it wasn’t unheard of.

Tonight was going to be interesting, and Adora was sure that even in Razz’s confused mind, it would be a story worth telling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah. I'm kind of back?
> 
> I do this thing where I go in and out of writing binges, and this one is no different. The biggest difference, however, is how dedicated I am to writing it. The amount of time I've put into this over the past 2 weeks alone, along with the fact that I have a great friend doing a lot of the beta-work/idea-bouncing/just being a great friend is super helpful.
> 
> See you next week when I post the next chapter.


	2. The Show

**_Welcome to the Future of Racing._ **

That’s what the sign read above the entrance to the show hall. It had been advertised as a free event, open for the public to attend, but those who were considered to be important guests came dressed in formal wear. The people would be able to see the new listings, and the company heads would be able to determine which they would be able to sell and which would be best left on the show floor. Adora hated the atmosphere of these types of shows, but she was always curious as to what new cars were to be revealed.

As she, Bow, and Glimmer stepped out of her Mustang, the three were met with a mixture of sounds: the R&B music, the conversations of those in attendance, and the random announcements over the speakers about the next showings. Adora was the more casual of the three, opting to wear a red bomber jacket over a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and white high-tops with red and gold accents. Adjusting her jacket slightly, Adora tossed her keys to the young valet who had been staring at her in shock.

She chuckled as the young man juggled to catch her keys. “No scratches please,” she said as she passed by him, patting his shoulder.

Glimmer stood on her right, sporting a blue split-sleeve cape suit jacket over a pink blouse with matching blue dress pants. Her hands were in purple gloves that matched the open-toed heels she wore, and she was sporting a new asymmetrical haircut that made her seem a bit older in Adora’s eyes. To Adora’s left was Bow, dressed in a red and gold crop-top with a silver leather jacket, black denim jeans, and white and gold converse. There wasn’t a hair out of place in his afro buzz, but Adora was one to miss his nervous tick as he played with the arrow pendant that hung around his neck.

She put a hand on Bow’s shoulder, hoping her relaxed smile would help ease some of his worries. “It’ll be alright. We’re just here to check out the new showings and to mingle with the crowd.”

He sighed, shoulders drooping at Adora’s words. “I know. I’m just worried about the Primes. Nothing good happens when they’re involved, and the fact that we know nothing about this mysterious thing that’s supposed to happen isn’t helping matters.”

Glimmer rolled her eyes, pulling out a small tablet from her jacket and handed it over to Bow. “Here. Mom thought you’d lose your mind attending the event tonight. It has access to all the systems for the show, so look through them. If anyone’s going to find something out of the ordinary, it’s probably you.”

Though Glimmer’s mother, Angella, ran the largest technological security firm in all of Etheria, it was not a path the younger woman had wanted to take. Angella and Glimmer would consistently argue, from school work to how the company itself was being run. It didn’t help matters that Glimmer’s father, Micah, had been missing for years, forcing Angella to raise her daughter on her own while maintaining the family’s company through its own trials. It had only been after Glimmer graduated from high school and began to excel in her marketing degree at Brightmoon University that she and her mother began to understand each other more.

It wasn’t until recently that Glimmer had begun to take up a larger role in the family company, heading the marketing department while maintaining the social interaction with the high-importance clients. Sometimes, Glimmer would be gone several days to mediate for her mother in large contracts, serving as a glimpse as to what she could do once Angella retired, yet it still remained a sore subject for the two of them.

Bow eagerly accepted the tablet, his eyes speed-reading through the lines of code as he set about searching through the various databases he now had access to. Glimmer gave Adora a smirk, one that Adora could only roll her eyes to, before the two of them led the way inside the show hall. The easy tone of Panic! At The Disco’s “Hey Look Ma, I Made It” played above the chatter of conversations that seemed to fill the hall as they entered. Adora recognized some of the attendees as Angella’s clients, giving a few she knew personally a wave as they walked by.

“Adora!” She turned to find an older gentleman, Mr. Endo, making his way towards her. He ran one of the largest luxury car dealerships on the south-end of Etheria. “How’s the Mustang treating you these days?”

Adora smiled, shaking his hand. “Good, good. Just waiting on a few new parts to come in any day now.”

Mr. Endo raised a brow. “Still fixing the old girl up? I still don’t understand why you insist on rebuilding her, especially when we have several cars lined up for you at the moment. Are you sure I can’t interest you in one?”

Adora chuckled before shaking her head. “I like the challenge she brought me, but thanks for the offer. If I ever change my mind, you will be the first to know. I promise.”

She was thankful when his assistant managed to draw his attention away from her, sighing once they were out of earshot. “Is he still trying to get you to sign?” Glimmer’s voice asked from behind her.

Adora turned to her friend. “Every time he sees me, he gives me the same pitch.”

Glimmer rolled her eyes, cocking her hip out slightly. “He just wants to be able to boast that he sold a car to the famous She-Ra of Etheria.” She gave Adora a smile before turning her attention to Bow, who was still searching through the tablet next to her. “Found anything yet?”

Bow shook his head. “Nothing yet.”

“Maybe you’re being paranoid.”

Bow gave her a surprised face. “You, of all people, know that my gut is never paranoid.”

“So about that time we-”

“It was one time!”

Adora could only laugh at her friends. The back-and-forth bickering wasn’t anything new between the two. It was something that had developed when they were young children, though Adora had only been around it for the past decade. What had started out as confusing and sometimes annoying to Adora became something of an endearment. Even through all of their fights, bow always had Glimmers back and vise-versa. A sinking feeling began to swell in Adora’s chest at the thought, her mind going back to a time where the term endearment had a much different meaning to her.

And as if fate had been following her all night, it soon came crashing down on her.

“Adora? Is that you?”

Adora stopped in her tracks and spun around, eyes wide at what she saw in front of her. Standing with her mouth agape was Lonnie, dressed in a sleeveless black turtleneck dress and her signature shoulder-length brown dreadlocks. Standing behind her on the right was Kyle, his usually unkempt hair slicked back to something Adora could only describe as normal. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and green tie that surprisingly tied the entire outfit together for him. To Kyle’s right was Rogelio, who was in a similar outfit to Kyle’s, though his tie was that of a bright red, and he chose to attend without a suit jacket on.

Even after ten years, the three of them were just as Adora had remembered them back at the orphanage. “Lonnie?” she asked, a smile creeping its way onto her face as she began to walk towards them. “What are you guys doing here?”

Kyle was the first to reach her, wrapping her in a hug. “Could ask you the same thing! I thought you were retired!”

Adora smiled back and returned the hug before pulling away to face the three. “I am. I came with a couple friends who wanted to check out some of the new releases.”

Lonnie punched Adora’s shoulder. “Never could get away from cars, could ya?”

Rogelio shook his head as he watched Adora give Lonnie a punch back. _It’s good to see you,_ he growled to Adora.

Adora nodded, raising her hands to him. _It’s good to see you, too. I suppose you’re still keeping these two in line?_ she signed to him.

Rogelio chuckled. _Always,_ he growled in response.

Lonnie shook her head. “I’ll never understand how it was you and not Kyle who figured out first what this big lug was always saying.”

“Hey! I’m getting better at it!”

_No he isn’t._

“Aw, I love you too!”

Adora laughed at the three. Life at Brightmoon Academy was nothing like life at the orphanage, but she was never without friends. The evidence stood right in front of her. “So what brings you guys to the show?”

Adora wasn’t expecting the silence that followed. “It’s...um...complicated,” she watched as Lonnie answered, her former friend rocking from side to side slowly.

“What do you mean?”

“She means that they’re here with me.”

Adora’s back straightened. She knew that voice. It was etched into almost every single one of her childhood memories. She slowly turned to the source of the voice, and the breath hitched in her chest. Her light blue eyes met a pair of heterochromatic, one yellow and the other blue, and they were filled with glee. A familiar smirk accompanied the eyes, one that Adora could almost hear shouting her name years ago as its owner chased her around the orphanage.

Standing before her was Catra, her ex-best friend and one of the highest ranking members of the Primes. “Hey Adora,” she said with a familiar cackle. “Miss me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it 2 am and I'm posting a new chapter before I leave for the day?
> 
> Yes. Yes it is.
> 
> Thank you for the great response to the first chapter, and happy 4 months Catradora <3


	3. The Heist

_ Children’s laughter filled the halls with the sounds of footsteps following right after. Tag always turned into chase, which then turned into hide-and-seek. It always started with Adora and Catra, and it always seemed to end with them as well. _

_ When Catra took a turn too sharp during one of their chases, Adora watched as her friend rolled her ankle before falling in pain. She rushed to Catra, mindful of her hurt leg. “Are you ok?” _

_ Catra bit her lower lip but nodded. “It just stings. I’ll be fine.” _

_ “I can go get-” _

_ “No!” Adora jumped at Catra’s sudden outburst. Catra pulled her leg to her chest. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a minute.” _

_ “Are you sure?” _

_ “Adora, I’m fine.” Catra looked up at her friend. “Why are you hovering?” _

_ Adora sat down beside her. “Because you look out for me, and I look out for you. I’ll always be here for you.” _

_ Catra slowly reached over to grab Adora’s hand, giving it a small squeeze. “You promise?” _

_ “I promise.” _

* * *

“Hey Adora,” Catra said with a cackle. “Miss me?”

Adora couldn’t believe her eyes at the sight of her former friend standing in front of her. So much had changed, yet it felt as if time hadn’t passed. Catra wore a grey shirt under a black suit that seemed to hug her curves in all the right places. Her hair was trimmed and slicked back, and gone were the small grey tufts that hung near her ears. It was a look that Adora wasn’t accustomed to seeing on Catra, but the gleam in her heterochromatic eyes was hard not to recognize as they stared back at Adora. It was a look that always accompanied a smile that could brighten her day, no matter how tortuous the rest of the day was to be for them. To see it now, darker than she remembered it, squeezed Adora’s heart.

Behind Catra was Scorpia, who wore a fitting black dress with red accents to it. It seemed to match Catra’s outfit, though it was clear Scorpia was here to act more as a bodyguard rather than a plus one. Adora bit the inside of her lip at the thought; if that were the case, then she had to find out what Catra was really here for. Wherever she went, trouble was bound to follow.

“What are you doing here, Catra?”

The magicat shrugged. “Just enjoying the show with some of my own friends. Heard there’s supposed to be some big debut, and I wanted to see it for myself.”

Red flags started going off in Adora’s head. Catra hated cars; she would always complain whenever Adora volunteered for maintenance shifts and pulled her along. Hell, the only reason why Catra even knew how to drive a car was because-

“Ladies and gentlemen! The main showing is about to start!”

The emcee’s voice broke Adora’s concentration, pulling her attention to the front stage. The older man was waving to those cheering around him. When Adora realized her mistake, she spun around to find not only Catra and Scorpia had disappeared but so had Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio. Cursing herself silently, Adora quickly made her way through the crowd, her eyes searching for Bow and Glimmer.

She found them standing near the food table; Glimmer sipping on a drink and talking to her Aunt Castaspella, while Bow was still skimming through the code on Glimmer’s tablet. When Glimmer saw Adora approaching, her body language immediately shifted to match Adora’s serious expression.

“What’s going on?” she asked, her question pulling Castaspella’s attention into their conversation.

Adora looked around before turning her attention back to Glimmer. “The Primes are here, and they’re up to something. Something that has to do with this next showing, I think.”

Glimmer straightened, turning her attention to Bow. He held his hand up. “Already on it.”

Castaspella pulled out her tablet, looking through the digital itinerary for the show. “The next showing is from a new company, the First Ones. Supposed to be showing off some new engine named ‘The Heart of Etheria.’” She looked to her niece, a frown on her face. “They’re rather new to your mother’s network of clients. I don’t think they’ve been around for more than a year or so.”

Glimmer cupped her chin in concentration. “A new engine?” She looked to Castaspella. “Can you find their head of security and inform them about the situation?”

Castaspella nodded, and Adora watched as she left, pulling on her earpiece to relay the information to her team as she headed off towards what Adora assumed was the staging area behind the main stage. She turned back to her friends. “What are you thinking?”

“Remember Bow mentioning how something big was supposed to be going down, yet there was almost no information about it? What if it’s this engine?”

Adora’s eyes widened, and she spun around just as the next presenter walked out onto the stage. She was a tall woman who wore a light purple gown with a transparent hood. The woman smiled as the crowd around her roared to life in anticipation.

“Well, that was quite a warm welcome, Ms. Hope! We’re all very excited to see what you’ve brought to debut for us tonight,” the emcee announced before passing off the microphone to the woman.

She nodded once in thanks before turning to address the audience. “Thank you all. My name is Light Hope, and I’m proud to be representing the First Ones tonight as we unveil our debut engine. It is with our hope that this engine will help to revolutionize the industry, taking us one step closer to making the impossible into the possible.”

Light Hope walked around to the front of the car next to them, a new model of a Nissan from what Adora can tell. “Every engine company around the world is looking for the next big thing. Electric, solar, and even air itself.” She stopped and turned to her right, and Adora could swear the woman was looking straight at her. “What if I told you that there was something much more valuable, much more powerful, than any of those three? What if I told you we’ve created an engine that can run entirely on magic?”

“I’d say, let me have it.”

Adora’s head turned on a swivel to the second story balcony, her eyes landing on Catra. That cocky smirk that practically lived on Catra’s face was present, but that’s not what had Adora’s full attention. It was the switch that the magicat was proudly holding up for everyone to see.

“Catra!” Adora shouted, but it’s too late.

A flick of the switch, a loud explosion sounding from outside the building, and the lights inside were gone. Screams filled the air, even more so as a second explosion sounded from a nearby wall, suddenly filling the once dark room with the bright lights from the nearby parking lot. The start of an engine caught Adora’s attention, and her legs were moving before her mind could process it. The light from the outside shone into the windshield of the Nissan, Catra’s smile visible as she pressed down on the gas pedal. The screeching of the tires sounded, forcing Adora to stop and dive to the left to avoid the car that sped past her and out the newly-made hole in the wall.

It would be about thirty minutes later when technicians brought the lights back on inside the showhall. By then, the police had arrived alongside paramedics, news crews surrounded the roads leading to the showhall, and Adora was pacing in front of Bow and Glimmer as they waited for their cue to leave. Castaspella had warned them against leaving until her team and the police could get statements and manage an exit route for visitors to leave safely and away from the press hounds. It was only when she returned to their group that Adora slowed her pacing.

Glimmer stood up once her aunt was within earshot. “Any news?”

Castaspella shook her head. “Nothing so far. They only took the one vehicle, but it was the prize of the show.”

Bow looked up from his seat, the news playing on the tablet in his hands. “All that trouble for just one vehicle? Was that engine really worth all of this trouble?”

“It was.” The four of them turned to find Light Hope making her way towards them. “The past twenty years have been spent creating that engine. Its creators envisioned it not only to revolutionize the industry, but many other fields with its success. Now, it’s gone, along with years of research.”

“I can only imagine the amount of time, money, and energy that your company put into the engine,” Adora said, noting the calmness that surrounded Light Hope. In her mind, the woman should be a lot more distressed over the disappearance over such an important piece of equipment, but there was a severe lack of emotion coming from the woman. It was troubling to say the least.

Light Hope nodded. “We have our own currently working with the authorities to locate the engine, and hopefully, we’ll find it soon.” She turned to Castaspella and Glimmer. “Please inform Ms. Angella that the First Ones extend our deepest apologies for the disturbance from tonight. We did not plan for something like this to occur and will cover the reconstruction costs for the building.”

Glimmer smiled. “No need; the insurance should cover all of the expenses. I hope you’re able to find the vehicle and the engine soon.”

“As do I. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there are quite a few phone calls that I must make.” Before Light Hope left their group, Adora noticed the woman’s eyes dart in her direction for a moment. There was something of recognition in her eyes, unnerving Adora.

“Well. She’s definitely a weird one,” Castaspella noted as soon as Light Hope was out of hearing, her arms crossing over her chest.

Bow stood up, his eyes still focused in the direction of Light Hope. “Anyone else notice how she was paying special attention to Adora?”

Glimmer nodded. “It was a bit creepy.”

Adora turned to her friends. “It wasn’t just now either. During her introduction, it felt like she was honing in on me, even though we were all far away from the main stage.”

“And you’ve never once met her before tonight, right?”

Adora shook her head. “Never. Yet, it was like she knew me somehow.”

“Well, you were a household name for a few years. Maybe she recognized you from there?” Bow suggested.

“Maybe, but this seemed different.”

“I will agree that it is strange, but I don’t believe here is the best place to discuss this,” Castaspella interrupted. “I think you three should head home for the night. We’ll take care of it from here.”

Glimmer gave her aunt a hug, and the three of them left for the valet area where Adora’s Mustang was waiting for them. After a quick picture for the still-clearly-shaken valet, it was an uneventful ride back to Adora’s home. Even as Adora said goodnight to her friends, her mind was still replaying the events of the night. She wanted to know why the Primes wanted the new engine so badly, why Light Hope had taken such a special interest in her. There was so much that happened tonight, but all the problems brought no answers for her.

Adora sighed. A trip to Razz in the morning would help clear her mind, she hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter time!
> 
> Sorry for not having a chapter last week; I wasn't ready to post this one just yet, and writer's block is rearing it's ugly head. That said, I hope you all enjoy the update. Let me know what you think!


	4. The Offer

The walls around her were sterile white. The beeps coming from the monitors seemed to resound off the walls at a higher pitch with each passing minute. Adora was sure she had worn a hole in the waiting room floor, but now she couldn’t find a release in the room. So much energy to burn, but here she was, sitting and waiting.

Waiting for Razz to wake up.

When Razz hadn’t answered her morning phone call, Adora hadn’t been too surprised. The old woman never liked her phone, only keeping it because Adora had insisted she did. Every once in a while, Razz would call her with some request for one of the many pies she seemed to always make, but it had been weeks since one of those phone calls. Adora tried to think back over the past couple weeks, trying to see if she could remember any changes in Razz’s behavior. Nothing came to mind; Razz was still her buzzing old self. Not once had she mentioned to Adora that she felt exhausted or that something felt off. She was just...Razz. Razz, the little old woman who could never seem to get Adora’s name right.

Adora sighed, running her hands over her face for what felt like the hundredth time. It was getting late, and visiting hours were about to end. She was waiting for the night nurse, Mel, to come and escort her out of the wing, yet a different voice caught her attention.

“It’s nice to meet you again, Ms. Grayskull.”

Adora jumped from her seat, turning to find Light Hope, the representative from the car show, standing in the doorway to Razz’s room. “Ms. Hope? What are you doing here?”

The woman walked into the room, took a look at Razz, before turning her attention back to Adora. “The First Ones regularly donate to this hospital and work with its staff to help make medical breakthroughs. As a representative, I visit once a week to see if there’s anything we can contribute to help ease their workload.”

“I didn’t think a company that was primarily involved in the production of car engines would be into medical breakthroughs.”

“It’s a small division that one of our founders was insistent on running. Even after his passing, we chose to continue the work; we couldn’t let all of his life’s work simply fade away.” Adora watched as the woman walked over to Razz’s bed, her eyes falling to the chart at the end of the bed. “Is this woman one of your relatives?”

Something about Light Hope’s question set Adora on edge, but she kept a neutral expression on her face. “A distant relative, but she’s also the only living one I have.”

Light Hope nodded. “My condolences.” A silence filled the room before she turned back to Adora. “What if there was a way that we could help her recover faster?”

Adora straightened at the suggestion. “How?”

“Help us retrieve the Heart of Etheria.”

“How is a car engine supposed to help her?”

She watched as Light Hope walked over to the window, her eyes focused on the setting sun. “I was not lying to the crowd that night about the engine. All around us, magic is present. In the air, in the earth beneath our feet, and even in people themselves. We’ve developed a piece of technology that turns the magic around us into energy.” The woman turned to Adora, her stare a bit harder than Adora’s ever seen. “The engine does not run on gar, air, or electricity. Only magic. And if you help us retrieve the Heart, then we can save your loved one.”

Adora narrowed her eyes at Light Hope. “I still don’t understand how the engine is supposed to help her get better.”

“Unfortunately, the process needed to help her recovery is classified company information. All that we ask is for your cooperation.” Light Hope moved her hands behind her back. “What is your answer, Ms. Grayskull?”

Adora looked to Razz, her peaceful face under the breathing machine’s mask, before clenching both of her fists.

* * *

“And you just said yes?”

Adora sat at her kitchen table, fingers steepled in front of her face. Glimmer and Bow were sitting on either side of her, wearing matching faces of concern as they waited on her response. She sighed, dropping her hands in front of her. “Yeah. I said yes.”

“But it begs the question as to why you?” Bow asked, his hand coming up to his jaw as his mind set about thinking. “Why not the police or the FBI?”

“Does that even matter at the moment?” Glimmer answered. “We don’t even know where to start looking!”

“We know exactly where to start.” Glimmer and Bow looked to Adora in confusion. “The Primes.”

Glimmer narrowed her eyes at her friend. “Adora, you can’t be serious.”

“They’re the ones who stole it. They’ll know where it is.”

Glimmer stood up and slammed her hands down on the time. “We. Don’t. Know. Where. They. Are. And even if we did, what makes you think they’re going to have it on them, much less tell you where they’re holding it?”

Adora sighed, looking up to meet Glimmer’s stare. “Easy. We win it in a race.”

Glimmer frowned, turning her head to look at Bow. He wore a similar look of concern. “A race?” he asked as he turned back to Adora.

Adora nodded. “Prime prides himself on owning the best of the best, and he likes nothing more than to put on a show of it. If we beat him in a race with the Heart as one of the prizes, he’ll give it up. His pride and followers will demand it.”

“That doesn’t tell us what we’re going to offer up, however,” Glimmer pointed out, slowly sitting back down in her seat.

“That’s easy. We put me in as our prize. We wager She-Ra.”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”

“ADORA, WE CAN’T!”

This time, it was Adora’s turn to slam her hands down on the table. “I’m NOT going to argue with you two about this. Either you help me, or I do this on my own,” she said, a slight quiver to her voice.

A silence engulfed the room at her ultimatum, and just as Adora thought about how she was going to pull this miracle off on her own, Bow sighed.

“She’s right.”

“Bow, you can’t be-”

He grabbed Glimmer’s hand. “I don’t like it either, Glimmer, but we have to trust Adora with this.” He turned his attention to Adora. “I assume you have a plan for this then?”

Adora nodded. “We have to build a crew, one that’ll be worth Prime’s attention. Once we have one, we make it very public about my return to the racing scene. Once the race has a date, we just have to plan for anything Prime might do to try and sabotage the race in his favor. Even when we think there isn’t one, there is. Trust me on that.”

“Adora.” She turned to Glimmer, who was fraught with fright. “Are you sure about this? It took you so long to put that past behind you.”

Adora sighed but gave Glimmer a nod. “I am, but I will admit that I have an ulterior motive.”

Bow raised a brow. “Oh?”

“I need you guys to help me look into the First Ones. Find out everything we can about the company. There’s something that Light Hope isn’t telling me, and I want to know why she’s so interested in me.”

Bow smiled. “That’s something I can definitely help with.”

“And I’m sure my mother and aunt would be willing to help out and provide as much support as they can. They could even list it under their investigation into the theft from the car show,” Glimmer added with a smile.”

Adora smiled back, the tension in her chest softening a little. “Thank you. Both of you. I don’t know if I could have done this without you guys.”

Glimmer and Bow stood from their seats, walking over to their friend and hugging her from both sides. “We’ve always got your backs, Adora,” Bow stated, to which Glimmer confirmed with a nod.

Adora hugged them back, silently praying to herself that she wasn’t making a mistake. She-Ra was coming back, and they were going to need every ounce of luck they could afford.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a heads up, there won't be a new chapter next week! I'm still in the process of writing and refining the next couple chapters.
> 
> Thank you for all the support for the work!


	5. The Hacker

Adora loved Bow; she really did. But with every passing second, she was seriously contemplating the state of mind she had been in when she had agreed to his “passenger controls the music” mentality.

It started with Bow mentioning that he knew someone, a hacker, that would be more than happy to help with finding out more information about the First Ones. With Glimmer at her mother’s office discussing the show’s investigation, that left just the two of them to head to the Dryl neighborhood, which was located to the northeast of Brightmoon. It almost meant that Adora was left to suffer through Bow jumping from artist to artist through her car’s speakers. Currently, he had Rihanna’s Please Don’t Stop the Music playing, and it was just enough pop that Adora had to speak up.

“Bow, is there any way we could play something a bit more...mellow?”

Bow turned to her, astonished. “But we’re listening to the Queen right now! Please don’t tell me you don’t like Rihanna!”

“It’s not that I don’t like Rihanna, Bow. It’s just...I’m more of an 80s sound whenever I drive.”

Bow blinked at his friend for a moment before a light seemed to click at her words. “Oh! I know just what to play then!”

When Adora heard Highway to Hell begin to filter through the speakers, she couldn’t help herself but to bop her head along with Bow. The windows were rolled down, Bow was quick to turn the music up, and Adora felt a little more relaxed as they began to sing along. Music always seemed to help ease her mind of its troubles, even if it was for a short period of time. By the time they had pulled up to the address of this mysterious hacker friend of Bow’s, three more AC/DC songs had been played.

As Adora climbed out of the Mustang, she looked up to the building. The area looked to be rundown, and the building itself looked to be abandoned. From everything Bow had described to her, Adora was sure that the person was going to be in a more...livable arrangement.

“Are you sure this is the right address?” she asked as she pulled her favorite red jacket out from the back seat.

Bow turned to her as he closed the passenger side door. “It is. Look, I know it’s not the best-looking building on the block, but she’s kind of anti-social. Well, not really anti-social; it’s more like she doesn’t really know how to socialize.” Adora raised a brow to his explanation, adjusting her jacket. “Just know that she’ll be more than willing to help us find whatever information we need on the First Ones. Trust me.”

It wasn’t the lead that Adora was looking for, but it was the best thing she could get as she followed Bow inside the building. As they entered, Adora noticed that there was electricity running through the building, but there were no lights turned on. She followed her friend to a nearby staircase but was surprised to find that they were going down instead of up. As they reached the basement level, Adora stopped at the last step in shock. Littered down the hall was various amounts of random pieces of machinery. Different rooms were lit up in lights; sounds that she could only describe as small factories came from each of the rooms. She swallowed at the noises, the sounds being all too familiar as she took the last step off the stairs.

Bow noticed her hesitation and stopped. “You ok?”

Adora nodded, her eyes shifting from side to side at the piles of machinery. “Yeah. Let’s just keep moving. I’m assuming she’s close by, right?”

“Your assumption is correct!”

Adora and Bow jumped at the sudden exclamation and turned to find a girl, who looked to be only a few years younger than them, rushing out of one of the nearby rooms. She slammed into Bow, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. Adora took a cautious step back to get a better look at the girl. Her hair was lilac and pulled into pigtails, and she wore what looked to be a mechanic’s pair of overalls. A welder’s mask sat on the top of her head, and her cheeks were covered in what appeared to be grease. What stood out to Adora, however, was the armband on her left forearm. She didn’t know much about technology as Bow did, but Adora was almost certain that tablets weren’t advanced enough nor made skinny enough to fit around a person’s forearm.

“I didn’t know you were actually coming to visit me today, Bow!” the girl exclaimed as she released him from the hug.

Bow smiled, his hands resting on her shoulders. “It’s good to see you too, Entrapta. I actually came here with a favor to ask. You see, this is my friend Ador-”

“Oh I already know who she is,” Entrapta said with a smile, her attention turning to Adora. “It’s hard not to know who Adora Grayskull is. I mean, to actually meet a living member of the Grayskull family is fantastic!”

Adora and Bow looked at each other confused before Bow turned his attention back to his friend. “What do you mean a living member?”

Entrapta tilted her head to the side. “I meant what I said. A living member of the Grayskull family. I mean, it’s taken quite a few years for the First Ones to recover, and I was very surprised to hear you chose to become a soccer star instead of heading the company, but that’s all in the past now!”

Adora narrowed her eyes. This girl was obviously nuts. Just as she was about to tell Bow that the two of them needed to leave, Adora noticed him give her a look before turning his attention back to Entrapta. “Is there somewhere we could sit down and get some water?”

“Of course! Follow me!”

The two friends watched as the young girl zipped down to one of the rooms before Bow turned to Adora. “Now, I know what you’re going to say-”

“She’s nuts, Bow.”

“She’s not nuts.” A moment of silence passed between them. “Ok, maybe she’s a little out of there, but I promise she’s not nuts.”

“Bow-”

“Look, let’s go in there, listen to her ramble a bit to get it out of her system, and then we can convince her to help us break into some big company that you may-or-may-not have relatives working for?” Another beat of silence passed. “That sounded better in my head.”

“You think so?”

Bow sighed. “Not really.”

Adora rolled her eyes but sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

She followed Bow down to the room Entrapta had ducked into, surprised to find the girl had cleared off a table and placed a few bottles of water on it. She was currently drawing some type of blueprint on a sketch pad, only raising her head when she heard the two of them walk into the room. “I was wondering when you two would follow me.”

Bow sat across from her with Adora taking the chair on his left. “We had to...discuss some things.”

“Like the fact that your friend could be the long-lost heir to one of the largest technology firms in all of Etheria?”

Bow glanced to Adora, who rolled her eyes but nodded to him. He nodded back, turning to Entrapta. “About that...how do you know so much about the First Ones?”

Entrapta beamed at the question. “All of this technology,” she said, sweeping her arms around her to indicate the various parts of machinery, “is thanks to the First Ones! If not for them, we wouldn’t be as advanced as we are now!”

“But I’ve never heard of them up until Angella’s car show.”

Entrapta propped her head up on her hand, a frown on her face. “Well, about twenty-five years ago, there was this big accident at one of the main factories. They were supposed to be working on some new invention, and a lot of the really important people were there.” She looked down at the table, the joy in her eyes fading to sadness. “A lot of people died in the accident, and the company just disappeared out of public view.”

Bow looked to Adora. “That must be why the Heart is so important. This is their first major project since the accident.”

Andorra nodded, but there was something about what Entrapta had said that was bothering her. “Why do you think that I’m related to the company?” she asked the young girl.

Entrapta sat up at Adora’s question. “Well, your last name is Grayskull, is it not?”

“It is, but there’s a major problem to your thought. I’m an orphan. I don’t know who my parents are; I have no idea who my biological family is.”

Entrapta’s shoulders dropped. “Oh. i’m sorry.”

Bow looked to Adora before turning to Entrapta, reaching out to cover her hand with his own. “Maybe you could help us find some answers. There’s a First Ones representative that’s caught our attention, and we need your help to figure out if she’s hiding something.”

Entrapta’s eyes brightened at Bow’s words. “You mean you wanna hack into some really tight security to find out what the First Ones have been doing for the past twenty-five years?”

Adora nodded. “We do.” She looked to Bow and then back to Entrapta. “And if we find out some information on whether I’m really related to the company or not, that’d be helpful too.”

She watched as the young girl squealed in excitement. She sat in silence as Bow and Entrapta discussed their plans for the hack, following her friend out to her car after they had finalized a date and time. Adora drove back to Brightmoon in silence, not paying a second’s worth of attention to the music playing through the car’s speakers. It was only after she had pulled up to Bow’s apartment did her friend grip her shoulder.

“Are you ok?” Bow asked, the worry clear on his face.

Adora sighed. “I’m not sure. It was...just a lot to take in, you know?”

“Do you want to hang out here for a while?”

She shook her head. “I’m going to go home and decompress. If I need you, I’ll shoot you a text.”

Bow nodded once and exited the car, and Adora knew he would keep watching her car leave until she was out of eyesight. She didn’t care. The past few days had drummed up so many memories, and Adora didn’t know really where to start in wading through all the new information. She was an orphan, and then she wasn’t. She had a tough childhood, but was it always supposed to go that way?

Pulling up to her home, Adora exited the car and walked into the living room. She stopped in the hall, turning to the shelves that held all of her important pictures. There was one of Adora smiling at the phone as she accepted a position on the women’s national soccer team. Another was of her with Glimmer and Bow at their high school graduation. There was another of Adora’s official adoption into Glimmer’s family with Angella standing right behind the two. Gently moving that picture to the left, Adora reached back to pull out the older picture hidden behind it, one that didn’t have a stand but was the single most important picture she owned.

It was a selfie taken from when she was much younger, a smile on her face. Her arm was wrapped around the shoulders of her best friend, whose laughter still rang in Adora’s ears. It had been years since she had last seen Catra’s smile, one that seemed to always get a smile out of her whenever she saw it.

Adora sighed.  _ Who am I? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back with a new chapter!
> 
> Love the responses and support for the work. As I continue to work on future chapters, it's becoming a bit clearer that this will end up being more of a series of works rather than a single work. Only time will tell, however.
> 
> Let me know what you guys think so far!


	6. The Guitar

**_Fifteen years ago_ **

“Come on, you stupid thing. Work already.” Nothing but static answered her pleas. “Come on. I just had you working a minute ago!”

“Catra, what are you doing?”

Catra jumped at Adora’s voice, turning to find her friend giggling at her. She narrowed her eyes at Adora before turning back to the radio in her hands. “Trying to get this stupid thing to work.”

“You know if Shadow Weaver catches you messing with that again, you’re gonna be in a lot of trouble.”

“Are you gonna tell her that I have it?” Silence was the only answer Catra received. “Thought so.” She looked over her shoulder to Adora. “Besides, what she doesn’t know won’t kill her.”

Adora rolled her eyes and walked over to her best friend, looking over her shoulder to the radio. “How long has it been acting up this time?”

“I had a signal, but I can’t seem to find it again.”

“Want me to try?”

“I got it.”

“Catra.”

“I said I got it!”

“You said that too with the mouse.”

“Are you ever going to let it go? It was one time!”

Adora giggled in Catra’s ear before taking the radio out of her friend’s hands. “No wonder it’s not working. You have the antenna all messed up.”

Catra watched as Adora walked over to their desks, took a piece of tape, and used it to straighten the antenna. The blonde smiled at her handy work before choosing to set the radio on top of her dresser, turning it to their favorite “all-time greatest hits” station.

Adora squealed in glee when she heard the first song that came through the speakers, turning to Catra with a bounce in her step. “We have to dance to this one!”

Catra’s ears flickered at the song before a smile of her own appeared. It was Kenny Loggin’s song “Footloose,” which was about the only song that she would agree to be ridiculous to. The two laughed at Adora’s insistence, dancing to the song as it reverberated against the room’s walls.

As the song ended, Catra plopped down on the floor, smiling up at Adora as the blonde continued to dance. “Where do you get all this energy from? It’s gotta be from all the cookies you eat from the kitchen.”

Adora rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. “You mean all the cookies you steal for us from the kitchen.”

“Eh, same difference.”

Adora giggled as she sat beside her friend, knocking her shoulder against Catra’s. They sat in comfortable silence as the radio continued to fill the room with music. Such moments were becoming rarer; Shadow Weaver’s insistence at having them do more late-night errands made sure of that. Adora didn’t mind; she would take what she could get if it meant being able to hang out with Catra more.

“Hey Adora.” The blonde looked to her friend, who was staring down at her feet. “Would you play a song on the guitar for me?”

Adora smiled softly, standing up to grab the guitar from the corner of the room. Shadow Weaver hated having the instrument in the orphanage, but she had convinced her caretaker to keep it for appearances. More of the orphans went to new families on days that Adora played her guitar than not.

She sat next to Catra, taking a moment to tune the guitar before turning to her friend. “Which song this time?”

“You already know the answer.”

Adora smiled, her fingers already dancing along the strings to the tune of Catra’s favorite song.

_ Merrily we fall out of line, out of line _

_ I’d fall anywhere with you, I’m by your side _

_ Swinging in the rain, humming melodies _

_ We’re not going anywhere until we freeze _

Catra bopped her head from side to side, her eyes closed as she listened to Adora’s voice.

_ I’m not afraid anymore, I’m not afraid _

_ Forever is a long time _

_ But I wouldn’t mind spending it by your side _

“Just what do you two think you’re doing?!”

Adora jumped, the guitar flying out of her hands at the sound of Shadow Weaver’s voice. She and Catra turned to see their caretaker standing in the doorway, her anger radiating behind the red mask she always wore. It’s white eyes bore down on them, and Adora felt as if she was glued to the floor below her.

“Shadow Weaver, I can-”

“ENOUGH.” The woman turned to Adora, the anger subsiding for a moment. “Adora, go to the activity room with the others. Tomorrow’s assignments have been posted.” She watched as the older woman’s attention turned to her friend. “I need to have a talk with Catra.”

“But-”

“Now, Adora.” Shadow Weaver’s voice never rose, but the threat was clear.

Adora looked to Catra. Her friend’s eyes were pleading for help, but they both knew that there was nothing that Adora could do. Slowly, she walked out of the room, flinching as Shadow Weaver slammed the door shut behind her. Unable to do anything else, Adora found herself slinking off to the activity room, a forced smile on her face as she greeted her other friends. They spoke about tomorrow’s runs, but Adora’s mind kept drifting back to her bedroom, to Catra. When Shadow Weaver made an appearance to discuss the plans for tomorrow, Adora took the moment of distraction to make her way back to the bedroom.

Inside, Adora could hear Catra’s muffled sniffing from her bottom bunk. She quietly made her way towards her friend, slinking slowly into the bed next to her. Catra stiffened at the movement but quickly relaxed when she realized that it was Adora. She turned into Adora’s arms, tears running down her face and staining her friend’s shirt.

Adora sighed, pulling Catra as close to her as possible before turning her attention to the dresser across the room. On it was a picture, a selfie, of the two of them smiling, taken on one of their earliest runs when they thought it’d be cool to steal the phone on their way out. The consequences had been terrible, but in the end, the result was worth it. The longer Adora stared at the picture, the more her own tears began to run down her cheeks. She vowed that one day they’d be able to smile like that once more.

* * *

**_Present Day_ **

Adora set the picture back down on the shelf. She thought she was over everything, over Catra, but the car show had only proved that she wasn’t. Her past was still haunting her. Her fingers twitching, Adora made her way into her bedroom. She grabbed the guitar resting against her bookshelf and sat down in the far corner of the room.

She didn’t know what song she was playing, but the mellow tones had the calming effect she desperately needed at the moment. She continued to play, closing her eyes as her fingers moved aimlessly across the strings. She moved seamlessly from song to song, her mind wandering to the different tales that each one spun.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard you play that old thing. Even more so to hear you play Niji on it.”

Adora opened her eyes to find Glimmer leaning against her bedroom door frame, a soft smiiel on her face. Adora shrugged, leaning forward to rest her chin on her propped arm. “It just...felt right, ya know?”

Glimmer walked over to Adora’s bed, sitting on the foot of the bed. “I have an idea. Do you wanna talk about what’s on your mind?”

Adora drummed her fingers against the guitar. “I don’t know where to start.”

“Well, how about we start with what’s on your mind right now?”

A silence passed between the two women before Adora sighed. “Is it wrong to wish for a different childhood?”

Glimmer frowned. “What do you mean?”

Adora leaned back in her chair, setting the guitar down next to her. “I don’t regret a single moment of what you, your mom, and your dad did to help me achieve all the success I got with my soccer career. If it hadn’t been for you three, things could have been way different and probably a lot worse. But I can’t help wondering, especially after what happened today with Bow’s hacker friend, what my life would’ve been if I had known my biological family or had I stayed back at the orphanage. Would I have still become the person I am today, or would...would I have ended up like the other orphans?”

Glimmer stood and walked over to Adora, kneeling down in front of her so that they were eye to eye. “Adora, I wish I could say I’ve seen the future and the maybes of different choices, but I can’t. And neither can you. I want to say that I know you better, that you would have never become something that you’re not, but I can’t say that either.” She took Adora’s hands in her own, giving them a tight squeeze. “What I can say is that whoever you were, whoever you are now, and whoever you end up becoming are all a part of you. You’re the only person who can change yourself, but you can do it knowing that there are so many people behind you, supporting you.”

Adora could feel the tears building on the corners of her eyes at Glimmer’s words. She threw her arms around her friend’s shoulders, pulling her in for a tight hug. “Thank you.”

Glimmer returned the hug before gently pulling herself from Adora’s arms. “Now that that’s been settled, how about we go downstairs, call Bow, and plan ourselves a race?”

Adora laughed, wiping a tear from her eye. “Yeah. Let’s go do that.”

As Adora followed Glimmer out of her room, she paused at her wall of photos, taking one last look at the selfie. The past had been written, but a new chapter had just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't mean to sleep through best magicat girl's birthday, so happy belated birthday to Catra!
> 
> No new chapter next week, but once we get back, more plot is coming your way!!


	7. The Blocker

Adora knew that once word got around that she was returning to the racing scene after over a decade that there was going to be a buzz in the underground community. What she hadn’t expected was the amount of excitement the race itself was generating. Many of her old contacts started reaching out to her in their discrete ways, but the sheer amount of messages were about to become a problem. Adora had tried her hardest to keep out of the public eye; it’s why she had chosen the small neighborhood after she retired from her soccer career. If her past ever made it into the tabloids, she knew that her life would forever change. Her privacy would be gone, and all of the mistakes she had years ago would come to light.

Adora shook her head. She wouldn’t let that outcome happen; she couldn’t.

Thankfully, Angella was kind enough to post a small security detail in her neighborhood to deter the random groups of paparazzi that would appear every once in a while, and a retired member of the Primes, Huntara, was kind enough to allow them to use her autoshop as a meeting spot. Adora was grateful for the neutral ground for potential racers to meet up and discuss the specifics of the race, but she was also thankful that Huntara agreed to help her freshen up old skills long buried in her past. With Huntara’s guidance, a few needed parts, and some much-needed fine tuning, Adora and her Mustang were almost race-worthy.

The next wall in their plan was to create a crew that would match up against Catra’s. From the dossiers Huntara had gathered for them, Catra was riding with their old crew with Scorpia taking the place of second-in-command. Adora frowned as she looked over each dossier, familiar faces staring back at her. She knew all of their strengths and weaknesses, but she was only one person. She knew the roles that they would need to fill, but filling them was the biggest question. To her surprise, Glimmer and Bow had already developed a list of people for her to meet.

“Did you really forget that Bow and I were trying to get into the racing scene when we met you?” Glimmer had asked with a smile as she gave Adora the folder. “We still know a few people that could help out.”

Which was what led Adora to the Salineas District on this sunny afternoon. The district itself was renowned for having the largest coastline in all of Etheria, yet there weren’t as many tourists out as she thought there would’ve been. The roads were seemingly absent of any activity, which was mildly concerning for this time of year. Adora didn’t have much time to dwell on the thought as she pulled up to the address Glimmer had given her, which belonged to a small family-owned auto supply shop. 

As Adora stepped inside the shop, The Sea Gate, Glimmer’s words drifted into her mind. According to her friend, the shop used to be the largest car-part supply shop in Etheria, but business began to falter when the Primes began disrupting the routes. Once a member of Angella’s network of clients, the business was on the verge of going bankrupt. It was a point that Glimmer believed would help sway Mermista to join their crew: help us and they help their business flourish once more. Adora could see how the lack of business was affecting the store just by the next-to-bare walls of inventory. She frowned at the sight, her eyes landing on a young woman who sat at the register. The woman’s eyes were scanning through the magazine in front of her, but it was clear from the expression on her face that she was aware of Adora’s presence.

“Welcome to The Sea Gate, where we make your car sea-worthy once more,” she said unenthusiastically. “My name is Mermista. If you need help finding anything, then just leave the store because we probably don’t have it.”

Adora cleared her throat, her back straightening a bit when Mermista turned her attention to her. “I uh...I actually came here to talk to you.”

Mermista raised a brow. “Me?”

Adora nodded. “My name’s Adora Grayskull-”

“I know who you are.”

“-and I was hoping that you could help me with a race.”

Mermista closed the magazine in front of her, giving Adora her full attention. “Why does the soccer superstar Adora ‘She-Ra’ Grayskull need me for a race?”

Just as Adora was about to plead her case, the refraction of something blue caught her eye. She turned her head towards the direction of the light to find a blue Dodge Challenger sitting in the garage attached to the left of the shop. “Is that...is that a ‘71 Challenger R/T?”

Mermista turned her head to the car, a soft sigh escaping her. “It was my father’s until he couldn’t drive it anymore. It gets some love every once in a while, but without the proper parts, that car’s not going to be much help to you if you need it for racing.”

_ Right, the race.  _ And just like a light switch flipping, an idea was forming in Adora’s mind. She turned to Mermista with a smile on her face. “What if we got the parts to fix it up?”

“That’s a lot of money you’re offering up right now.”

“Money’s not an issue, trust me.” She placed her hands on the edge of the counter in front of her, her eyes locking onto the blue of Mermista’s. “Look, I need your help in a race. Years ago, you were one of the best rising blockers on the scene.”

Mermista straightened at Adora’s words, eyes darting around to make sure no one else was listening in on their conversation. “How do you-”

“Glimmer Moonstone gave me your information.”

Mermista groaned, rubbing her temples. A moment of silence passed between the two before Mermista looked back up at her. “I hope car parts aren’t the only things I”ll get from this race if we win.”

Adora shook her head. “The car parts are on me. I’d rather help your family out after we win.”

She watched as the woman’s eyes widened then narrowed at the implication of her words. “Wait...just who are we going up against in this little race of yours?”

“The Primes.”

Mermista gave Adora a smirk. “You definitely go big or go home, don’t you?”

Adora chuckled. “I guess so.” She took a deep breath in, released it slowly, and looked to Mermista with a serious expression. “Will you help us?”

The silence that followed, along with Mermista’s intense stare, had Adora sweating bullets. Her mind was starting to come up with alternatives, different offers she could use to sway the woman’s decision, when a loud sigh escaped from the other woman’s mouth.

“If it means that the Primes will be gone and my family’s business will get back off the ground, I guess you have a deal.” Mermista rubbed the bridge of her nose before pushing back from the counter and standing up. “This is going to be such a headache.”

“So you’ll do it?”

“I said yes, didn’t I?” Mermista asked as she looked up to Adora. She gave her a confident smile, holding out a hand to the blonde. “You have a deal.”

Adora quickly shook Mermista’s hand and made her way out of the shop with a promise to contact her about when they would be meeting up next. Unaware of her surroundings, she almost bumped into the young man heading into the shop with an equally bright smile. He gracefully slid past her, a soft hum coming from his lips as he approached Mermista. From the look of annoyance on her face, Adora had a feeling this was a regular occurrence for the young woman and quickly made her way to her Mustang. One down, two to go, and all she could do was hope that the other two possibilities would be as willing to join as Mermista was.

* * *

Years away from the Horde definitely left Adora lacking of the skills that were practically ingrained into them when they were children. Had she spent even a moment surveying the area around the little supply shop, she would have noticed the black McLaren 12C sitting in a nearby alley. She would have recognized it as something that Catra would be driving. Instead, Catra watched as her ex-best friend climbed into that old red Mustang with that stupid smile on her face and drove off none the wiser.

She bit the claw on her thumb gently as she read the sign of the shop.  _ The Sea Gate. Now why would Adora need to go to some family shop all the way over here? _

Just as she was about to go check out the shop herself, the screen on her dash lit up for an incoming call. Catra sighed, lifting her hand to hit the accept button on the screen. The familiar face of Shadow Weaver appeared, and it didn’t look like she was happy.

_ “Report.” _

“Well, hi to you too, Shadow Weaver. You know, we really should have mo-”

_ “I SAID REPORT.” _

Catra rolled her eyes and looked back up to the shop. “Target left a small family auto shop about ten minutes ago with a bright smile on her face. Nothing going in with her; nothing coming out.”

_ “What shop?” _

“The Sea Gate over in the Salineas District.”

Catra looked down to the screen to see Shadow Weaver look off camera, the woman’s eyes shifting to something she couldn’t see. _ ”Interesting.”  _ When her attention shifted back to Catra, the young woman bit the inside of her lip.  _ “Return for your next assignment. I’m sure Hordak will have one ready for you by the time you arrive.” _

The call ended before Catra could get another jab in. You would think after years being the Primes’ top racer, she would have more say on the things she got to do. She was the youngest of the Force Captains; she held the most solo assignments on her record. Hell, Catra was practically the best at everything that the Primes did, and yet she still felt like she hadn’t accomplished anything. The heist of the engine had been her biggest feat yet, and it still wasn’t enough. Not to Shadow Weaver, not to Hordak. Not to anyone.

Catra bit down harder on her lip, threatening to draw blood, as she reached into her shirt to put out a necklace that held a small sword on it. Looking down at it in the palm of her hand, Catra could practically hear sixteen-year-old Adora’s laughter when her former friend had given the pendant to her. She sighed, sliding the necklace back into her shirt. The sword was supposed to be a good luck gift, but it had the opposite effect. Yet, Catra couldn’t throw the stupid thing away, because it was the last thing she had of Adora.

The last gift she had received from the last person she couldn’t prove herself to.

Starting the car, Catra made her way back to the Fright Zone, anger brewing in her chest. One way or another, she was going to prove her worth, and then they’d pay. Each and every single one of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot, plot, plot
> 
> Hope you all enjoy the chapter! Let me know what you think of it so far; I love seeing everyone's responses <3


	8. The Scout

With Mermista on board, Adora’s next stop was the Plumeria District. As the southernmost district of Etheria, it also served as a border to one of the most dangerous regions on the planet, the Crimson Wastes. Majority of the district was open fields with patches of forest areas spread out, though that was more due to the district’s design than nature itself. Regarded as one of the largest nature reserves in the area, those who lived in Plumeria sought a simplistic life. Adora had been down to the district a few times over the past few years for her vacations, the lack of bustling that urban areas such as Brightmoon brought soothing.

Unfortunately, Plumeria had the highest crime rate of Etheria’s districts. Swiping through Glimmer’s tablet, Adora scanned through the report her best friend had put together, the bullets that marked Prime activity highlighted for her attention. The gang’s activity had increased over the past few months, from minor vandalism to burglary and destruction of property, but there was no indication as to the cause. Glimmer was certain that Perfuma, the head of the restoration project based in Plumeria, would be more than willing to help if it meant that the Primes would be out of the district.

Setting her tablet down on the passenger seat, Adora took her keys out of the ignition and stepped out of her Mustang. The main center for the restoration project was located in the middle of the district, and she was quick to note the amount of traffic funneling in and out of the building itself, as well as the BMW Z4 GT3 parked in one of the front parking spots. For a project that didn’t have too much money to use, Adora found it interesting to see such an expensive car sitting outside the center. The blonde took one more look over her shoulder to check for any tag-alongs; Bow had sent a warning text after she left Salineas that word was starting to get around about her participation.

Taking her sunglasses off as she moved inside the center, Adora found herself stuttering to a halt. She hadn’t prepared herself for the sheer amount of activity currently rushing through the building, her eyes having trouble tracking the number of people passing by in front of her. Some were moving papers from one room to another; others were looking at what seemed to be a map of the entire district. There were small children working on what looked to be an arts-and-crafts project, and the volunteers looking over them were gathering the finished projects into nearby bins. There were other volunteers discussing a plan at the end of a hall, and others were just directing the traffic itself. Going from a quiet district to one with such energy was almost enough to give Adora whiplash.

“May I help you?” Adora jumped at the voice to her left, turning to find a young woman looking at her confused. “Uh, are you ok?”

Adora took a deep breath to calm her nerves, smiling at the woman. “Yeah, sorry. Do you know where I could find Perfuma?”

The woman raised a brow. “Do you have an appointment with her? I haven’t seen you around the center before.”

“This is my first time here, actually.”

“Is everything alright out here?”

Adora turned to find a woman matching Glimmer’s description of Perfuma walking towards them with a concerned expression. She stopped as Adora looked to her, a bright smile forming on her face. Before Adora knew it, the woman was too close for comfort, aggressively shaking her hand.

“I, uh-”

“It’s so good to meet you, Ms. Grayskull! This is so unexpected! I’m such a huge fan!”

The young woman to Adora’s left turned her confusion to Perfuma. “You know her?”

Perfuma looked to the woman enthusiastically. “Of course I do! This is Adora Grayskull, one of the youngest women to have played on the women’s national soccer team. She’s a hometown hero!” Dark brown eyes turned their attention back to Adora. “What pleasure do I owe you for coming to my volunteer center? Are you interested in helping out the relief efforts?!”

Adora swallowed at the attention. “I uh...I was hoping you’d actually help me on a more personal matter?”

Perfuma released Adora’s hand before motioning her towards a nearby room. “Of course, of course! Let’s go to my office, and we can talk over the details.”

Adora began to follow Perfuma to her office, casting a look over her shoulder back towards the young woman, but there was no sign of her. Frowning at the sudden disappearance, Adora made a mental note of it before walking into the office and closing the door behind her.

Flowers adorned as much of the space as possible, but so did various papers, charts, and maps of the district. In one corner, Adora saw a small cot and dresser, wondering how many nights Perfuma had spent here working late into the night. Her dedication to the restoration projects across the district was impressive, but from the reports she had read, those long nights were beginning to take a toll on the young woman. She watched as Perfuma gathered a scattered pile of papers on her desk together before moving the pile into one of the drawers on her left.

“So,” the taller woman began, gesturing to the chair opposite of her in invitation, “what can I do for you?”

Adora nodded in thanks, taking a seat in the chair and clasping her hands on her lap. “I uh...it’s kind of a weird request.”

“I assure you, I’ve heard worse in the five years of heading the restoration project.”

Adora took a deep breath in and then let it out slowly. “I was hoping that you’d join me in a race to help retrieve a missing, and potentially dangerous, prototype engine.”

Perfuma’s mouth opened slightly, her expression a mixture of surprise and confusion. “I’m sorry. You want me to do what now?”

“Join me in a race to retrieve a stolen prototype engine.”

“You were right, then. That is a very weird request, though I think you may have the wrong person for such a request. I’ve never once participated in any type of race, and I don’t see how I even meet such requirements to help you in whatever one you’re about to participate in.”

Adora bit the inside of her lip. She knew that convincing Perfuma was going to be more challenging than convincing Mermista, but she hadn’t realized just how tall that mountain was to climb. “Look, I know the request is not something you’ve had to deal with before, but Glimmer told me-”

“Wait, Glimmer? Glimmer Moonstone?”

Adora balked at Perfuma’s question. “Uh, yeah. She’s the one who suggested I come speak to you about joining the race. Why?”   
  
Perfuma leaned back in her chair. “My parents were one of the very first clients her father, Micah, ever took on when he started up his technology firm. Much of what we use now is based on the foundation he and my parents started. When they decided to retire, both of our parents kept in contact with one another until his disappearance.” Adora watched a small smile appear as Perfuma lost herself in her memories. “I used to spend a lot of time with Glimmer whenever they were over for dinner, though that was quite a couple years before you were staying with them.” Adora straightened as Perfuma’s eyes made their way back to her. “What else aren’t you telling me about this race?”

“I don’t know much about the engine, but the only way we can safely get it out of the Primes’ grasp-”

“The Primes?” Perfuma leaned forward on her desk. “Is this the same engine that was stolen from that car show a couple weeks ago?”

“So you were listening to the news.”

Perfuma nodded, reaching into a drawer to pull out a stack of papers. She handed them over to Adora, watching as the blonde began to scan through them. “The Primes have always been a thorn in my side when it comes to my restoration projects, but the activity’s heavily increased over the past month.”

She wasn’t wrong. Glimmer’s information didn’t include half of what was in Perfuma’s notes, especially the long list of assaults towards the top of the list. A few of the Primes had been arrested by EPD, though not many of them were people Adora knew. Catra wasn’t on the list, but thankfully, neither were Lonnie, Kyle, or Rogelio.

She turned her attention back to Perfuma. “Do you know anything as to why they’ve increased the violence?”   
  
Perfuma shook her head. “I’ve heard rumors, but nothing concrete.” She leaned back in her chair, eyeing Adora with an intense look for a moment. “What do you get from this race?”

“I just want to get the engine out of the Primes’ hands and stop whatever’s going on.”   
  
“That’s it?” Adora nodded once. “And all you want from me is to race alongside you?”   
  
“Yes.”

Perfuma sighed. “I want to help you, I really do, but I just don’t know what kind of strength having me in this crew of yours would do for you. Like I told you before, I’ve never raced a day in my life.”

Adora squeezed her hands together. There had to be something that would help convince Perfuma. As she tried wracking her mind for anything, the image of the BMW outside the center popped into her thoughts. She looked to Perfuma. “Who’s BMW is that parked outside?”   
  
“Mine. I use it to get around the district.”

“That’s quite a fast car for restoration projects.”

Perfuma chuckled. “Sometimes I need to get from one site to another in the fastest time I can, and it’s handling suits me just fine.”

“So you would say that you know all of Plumeria like the back of your hand?”

“I would say that I know all of the side streets of Etheria like the back of my hand.” Perfuma gave Adora a smirk. “Break the speed-limit is about the only law I don’t mind breaking.”

Adora leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees as she looked Perfuma in the eyes. “Then I think you’d make a great addition to the crew. We need someone like you who knows those side streets because we’re not expecting the Primes to race fairly.”

“Ok, so I have a role. I see that. But I don’t see what I get from participating. You have to understand that if I agree to this, I have to divide my attention between the race and still running the restoration projects I have ongoing.”

“I’m sure I can arrange a donation for the projects and spend some time helping you with them once the race is over.”

Perfuma raised a brow. “That’s quite the offer for someone who’s retired.”

Adora shrugged. “I still get money off my sponsorships, so I might as well put it to good use.”

Perfuma looked at Adora for a moment, silent as she processed the offer, before standing to walk over to the blonde. “I guess you have a scout then,” she said with a smile and an outstretched hand.

Adora rose to her feet, returning the smile as she shook Perfuma’s hand. “I guess I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost forgot to post the chapter!
> 
> There won't be a new chapter next week, but I'm more than happy to answer any questions about the AU so far! It's looking like we may be ending at 12 chapters, but who knows.
> 
> Let me know what you think, and I'll see you all in 2 weeks!


	9. The Drafter

“You know what I don’t miss about being on the national team? All the formal events after all of our big wins. That’s why I liked the car show; Angella didn’t care about how I dressed, so I could at least get away with being a bit more...casual.”   
  
“But you were the star of the show! You mean to tell me those big events celebrating you and the team weren’t entertaining?”

Adora huffed. “I would hardly count it as entertaining when I spent most of the night shaking the hands of weird old men.”

Glimmer looked up from the tablet on her lap to her friends, leaning back into the seat of the limo. “I wouldn’t count this so much as an enjoyment event but rather a business venture. Frosta’s one of the best drafters on the scene right now, so having her on your crew for the race would be invaluable.”

She wasn’t wrong. From what intel had been gathered, Adora was able to put together the picture of a rich girl who had tired of the limelight. In the media, she was a fashion influencer, her social pages reaching into the millions. In the racing scene, her speed was unmatched, her modded Mazda Lancer Evolution X a “thing of nightmares.” Frosta was the racer that Adora could have been had she stayed in the orphanage under Shadow Weaver’s care, and it made her shudder at the thought.

Pulling up to the celebration, Adora couldn’t help but be slightly impressed by the venue. It was one of the largest mansions she could remember seeing let alone be inside for a night, it’s ice-inspired pillars a staple of Frosta’s family. The front area was filled with paparazzi, the sounds of clicking cameras unsettling Adora. Speaking with the drafter held more importance than her disdain for the media, but it didn’t mean that Adora felt any more comfortable as she stepped out of the limo first.

She wore a fitted red dress for the event. The asymmetrical design of it felt right on Adora: her right arm was sleeved whereas her left arm and shoulder area was left bare, and it featured a left thigh-high slit but covered her right leg all the way to the floor. It wasn’t conventional, and Glimmer was thoroughly convinced that it just screamed Adora’s name the moment she tried it on.

Speaking of her best friend, Glimmer was the next to exit the limo. Out of the two of them, Glimmer was the one who would prefer these types of events, eager to wear styles that magazines and news outlets would talk about for weeks on end afterwards. That night, she chose to wear a purple formal evening gown that featured a mermaid silhouette, backless design, and a plunging v-neck with halter straps. The straps themselves were lined with small diamonds, the light color complimenting her eyes.

Bow was the last to leave the limo, ever the gentleman. He wore a white tuxedo jacket featuring gold lapels, a pink midriff dress shirt, a block bowtie that matched his black dress pants, and white dress shoes. He adjusted his jacket after closing the door to the limo, waving to the cameras as he moved to stand on Adora’s left.

Glimmer rolled her eyes at him. “You really do love the paparazzi, don’t you?”

Bow pursed his bottom lip out in a pout. “Hey, I’m not some retired soccer star or heir to some big technology firm, ok? Let me have the little spotlight that I can get from time to time!”

Adora rolled her eyes and smiled at her friends before beginning to walk towards the mansion. Questions were shouted as she passed the reporters, questioning about the maker of her dress or when she was going to make a comeback from her retirement. As she ascended the stairs, however, one question caught her attention.   
  
“Adora! Can you confirm the rumors swirling about your involvement in a street race?”

She never stopped, never turned to acknowledge the question, and continued to walk forward. Yet, it frightened her. Adora had tried her hardest to keep her involvement in the race out of the public eye; the thought of her true childhood coming to light would only complicate matters. It certainly would make getting the Heart from the Primes a lot more difficult. Adora swallowed at the thought, her mind instantly racing to Razz.

Instead of waiting for her friends to join her, Adora gave the door greeters a tight smile before passing by and making her way to the refreshments. It was an open bar, and she couldn’t be happier. The young bartender that saw her first flashed a look of recognition, but Adora held her hand up to stop the words from forming.

“Whiskey on the rocks. Strong as you can make it.”

The bartender paused before nodding once, quickly moving to complete the request. She sighed, leaning against the bar as the familiar clicks of heels approached her.

“A drink already?”

“Not tonight, Glimmer.”

Her friend sighed, waiting for the bartender to return with Adora’s drink before putting in her order as well. “A fruity cocktail for me.”

The bartender nodded, a moment of silence passing between the two friends.

“Glim, I-”

“That question really spooked you, didn’t it.”

Adora sighed, taking a swallow of her drink as the bartender passed Glimmer’s cocktail to her. “We tried so hard to keep it away from all of them. I just...I want to keep it that way. Until I’m ready, that is.”

“Well, I sent a text to Mom just in case.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

Glimmer shrugged, turning to look at the crowd of guests. “It’s not that big of a deal. HR will have something drafted up to help quell the rumors, and we can continue as planned.”

“Hopefully.” Adora turned her head to Glimmer, watching as the woman scanned the room while sipping on her cocktail. She didn’t miss the soft hitch in Glimmer’s breath when her friend’s eyes landed on Bow. He was currently speaking enthusiastically to a group of women, all of them giving him flirty smiles. Adora gave Glimmer’s shoulder a nudge. “You know, maybe you should talk to him.”

Glimmer turned her attention to Adora in a flash, a blush creeping up on her cheeks. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Really, Glimmer?”

Her friend pouted, turning her attention back to Bow. “I just...don’t want to ruin our friendship. He’s been my best friend since we were kids. Hell, he’s seen me at my worst, and I was a complete wreck when my dad disappeared.”

“I remember.” Adora turned, leaning back against the counter with Glimmer. “But maybe that’s what makes it a good idea. You never know unless you try.”

A soft chuckle. “Look who’s talking. You should really think about taking your own advice sometimes, Greyskull.”

“It’s not my fault that I didn’t realize that she was flirting with me until you literally had to tell me!”

Glimmer shrugged, taking another sip of her drink. “Maybe after the race I’ll sit down with him about it.”

Before another word could be said, Glimmer’s phone began to rang. It was Angella’s ringtone. Giving her friend a small smile, Adora excused herself. She began to make her way through the crowd, greeting other guests as she wandered the many rooms open for the celebration. Finding little entertainment in the small talk that groups tended to create, Adora left her empty glass on a nearby table before making her way out to one of the balconies, resting her forearms on the railing as she looked out towards the sea. The Snow district was neighbor to Salineas, boarding a smaller section of the sea yet still impressing with its view of the water.

“Glad I’m not the only one who finds these parties boring as hell.”

Adora startled, turning to find a younger woman leaning against the same railing only a few feet away to her right. She was shorter than Adora, her short black hair flared out around her ears. She wore a slim evening dress, a dark blue that matched her eyes and featured gems at the bottom of it like she had just walked through snow recently. It only took a moment for Adora to realize that this was the infamous host, Frosta.

The young woman smiled at her. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” she said before turning back to the ocean. “I come out here often to clear my head of all the noise these parties seem to bring.”

Adora relaxed at Frosta’s words. “That I can understand very well.” A silence followed for a short moment. “Is that why you choose to participate in street races?”

Frosta chuckled. “I see my reputation precedes me, She-Ra.” The young woman shook her head. “No, I do it for me.” She spun her hand in front of her face. “This life...it’s just boring. I’ve got so much money, money that was simply handed to me, for what? To walk around all the time at these boring parties? Why impress people who have less than I do? What’s the point?” She turned her attention to Adora. “Out there, in those races, it’s for me and me alone. It’s dangerous; it’s excitement.” Frosta smiled, spreading her arms out as wide as she could. “It’s me.”

Adora stared at the younger woman before bursting out in laughter, earning a glare from Frosta. The blonde held her hands up. “I promise I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at how much you remind me of myself when I was younger.”

Frosta raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

Adora looked out to the sea. “I used to think that I needed to always be moving, to always be doing something. It wasn’t until I had everything that I thought I wanted that I realized how wrong I had always been.” She turned back to Frosta, her smile softening. “You’re right; you should never impress people who have less than you. But you also need to realize that sometimes having less can be so much more.”

Before Frosta could respond, a booming voice caught both of their attention. “There you are, my dear! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

Adora and Frosta turned to find Mr. Endo walking towards them. “Mr. Endo? I’m surprised to find you at one of these,” Adora stated.

The older man laughed, wrapping his arm around Frosta’s shoulders. “Anything for my niece!” He turned his smile to Adora. “Say, you still driving that Mustang of yours around? I have this nice new model sitting down at my dealership with your name written all over it.”

Adora chuckled. “I told you at the car show, sir, that I’m not interested. I’m perfectly fine with my current one.”

When Mr. Endo’s smile morphed into one of confusion, Adora knew that something was wrong. “Car show? Are you talking about the one where that engine was stolen from?”

“Yes? We chatted about cars for a small time before the heist happened.”

“My dear, I think you have me confused with someone else. I was out of town for a business meeting with my brother that weekend.”

Adora’s eyes widened. She turned to Frosta, who nodded in acknowledgement. Something was very wrong. Excusing herself, Adora made her way back to the party, her eyes darting from person to person as she searched for her friends. She vaguely recalled Frosta’s voice calling for her as she searched, but the moment her eyes landed on Bow, the panic was already settling in her chest.

“Bow!” she called, catching the young man’s attention. She grabbed his arm, dragging him off towards a private corner with Frosta close on their heels. “We need to talk.”

Bow looked to Adora and then to Frosta. “What’s going on?”

“You remember seeing Mr. Endo at the car show right?”

Bow nodded. “Yeah, Glimmer and I both saw him. Why?”

Frosta crossed her arms over her chest. “Because my uncle was out of town with my father that weekend. They’re in the midst of settings up a new dealership in the next city over, Eternia.”

Bow’s eyes widened in surprise. “Eternia’s a three hour drive away.”

“Meaning someone else was there instead.”

“That much I can confirm.” The three of them turned to Glimmer as she approached them, frustration on her face. “I just got off the phone with Mom and Aunt Casta. The MC we hired for the event had called them today, informing them that we ‘accidentally’ paid him for an event he never worked. When they questioned him as to where he was that night, he informed them that he was in the hospital.” She turned her attention to Adora. “He was recovering from an allergic reaction to the food he had eaten two nights prior.”

The clues were starting to click faster and faster inside Adora’s mind. “It was an inside job.”

“By someone who’s very skilled at manipulation.”

Adora bit the inside of her lip. This was becoming more complicated by the minute. She turned to Frosta, flashing her a small smile. “Still want to find that excitement you’re looking for?”

Frosta flashed a smile that matched Adora’s. “Always.”

“Good. because we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

As the four of them began to discuss the race, a set of yellow eyes watched them from a distance. They smiled, looking down at their phone to read the last text they received.

_ Good work. Move forward with the next step in the plan. We can’t let the Heart fall into She-Ra’s hands. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been a month. Holidays are real; health, both mental and physical, are real and being affected.
> 
> I will finish this work, but please bare with me. I've to the outlines done; just having to write it while recovering is a struggle at the moment.
> 
> Let me know what you think of it!


End file.
